- Persis Khambatta
Infobox actor
name = Persis Khambatta
caption = Persis Khambatta
birthdate = birth date|1948|10|02
location = Bombay,India
deathdate = death date and age|1998|08|18|1948|10|02
deathplace =Mumbai ,India Persis Khambatta (
October 2 ,1948 –August 18 ,1998 ) was an Indian model and actress of Parsi ethnicity andZoroastrian religion. She was born in Bombay,India .At age 15, Khambatta became
Miss India and participated in the 1965Miss Universe pageant, but could not achieve much success in the Indian movie industry inBollywood , partially due to her relatively Western looks, which appeared unconventional for the Indian audiences. She later entered the world of international movies. She was also a model for various companies, includingRevlon . In 1975, she had a small role in "The Wilby Conspiracy ", and she went on to a brief movie career that included the role for which she is most recognized: as "Lieutenant Ilia", in "", (1979). She then took on roles in "Nighthawks" (1981) and "Megaforce " (1982) but she never really found success in film.In 1979, she became the first Indian to present an
Academy award . [ [http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/nov/19quiz.htm Welcome to rediff.com: Take the Movies Quiz! ] ]In 1985 she returned to India and tried to establish herself as a
Bollywood actress. However her soleBollywood film "Shingora" was not a box-office success; she then returned to Hollywood and did some guest appearance roles on various television series, such as "Mike Hammer " and "MacGyver ".Khambatta was seriously injured in 1980, following a car crash in Germany which left her with a large scar on her head.
In the early 1980s, Khambatta had a
coronary bypass operation. In 1997 she wrote and published acoffee table book called "Pride of India" which featured several former Miss Indias. The book was dedicated toMother Teresa and part of the royalties went to the Missionaries of Charity.Her final appearance on film and TV in an acting part was that of an Indian ambassador in the pilot episode of "".
In 1998, Khambatta was taken to the Marine Hospital in South
Mumbai ,India , complaining of chest pains. She died soon after of a heart attack. She was 49.References
External links
*
* [http://j9designs.com.au/persis/ Persis Khambatta Tribute Page]
* [http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/9699/persis.html Persis Khambatta - In Memoriam]
* [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/6453/persis.html Persis Khambatta - Lt. Ilia]
* [http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2000/feb/26female.htm Ageless, timeless women]
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